The Showtime exclusive series, Yellowjackets, is set to release a new season by the end of the year. Yellowjackets is a unique mix of psychological horror, coming-of-age, and survival themes, following a talented highschool varsity girls soccer team that became stranded in the wilderness after a plane crash on their way to nationals in 1996. Alongside the survival of the highschoolers, the show follows the present day, adult lives of four of the girls- Shauna, Natalie, Taissa, and Misty- as they investigate the possible murder of another survivor of the crash.

Yellowjackets has masterful transitions and the soundtrack features 90’s music to match the setting of the ‘96 storyline. The the main cast is made up of fairly young actors, and queer characters Taissa and Van are played by queer actors. Taissa is particularly well cast- she is a strong, attentive, and bold woman, both as a teen and as an adult. In behind the scenes clips, the actors for Taissa- Jasmin Savoy Brown as a teen and Tawny Cypress as an adult- talk about quizzing each other on their character (“Do we say EEther or EYEther?”), and analyzing Taissa’s habits to make sure they’re consistent across time frames, which matches perfectly with the character they play. 

Beyond the casting, the show also portrays team bonding in a wonderful way- between the girls admitting to their wrong-doings (“I called my piano teacher a bad word in my head,” says the extremely Christian Laura Lee, immediately before another girl admits to stealing from the mall) around a campfire, a short-lived dance party with the last of the battery on a walkman music player, and singing their own version of “Kiss From A Rose” by Seal- the team really feels like the kind of family that only a group of teenagers can make. 

The team dynamic is emphasized by the toughness of the girls, who survive surprisingly well in the wilderness. Natalie is one of the main hunters for the group, and Shauna takes the job of preparing meat. They chop wood for fires, and keep each other alive for many months- Well, most of them at least. The show deals with death, grief and trauma in both time frames. 

The show is intense, dark and at times gorey but still feels realistic in the way characters interact. To give a succinct explanation, the show is named for the way the titular insects will feed on each other if they are starving.